PRC PRC Research Project Management 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which risk management strategy involves proactively developing a contingency plan to address a potential research project disruption?
- Risk avoidance
- Risk mitigation (Correct answer)
- Risk acceptance
- Risk transfer
Correct answer: Risk mitigation
Risk mitigation involves taking proactive steps—such as developing contingency plans—to reduce the likelihood or impact of identified risks on project objectives.
Question 2: Scope creep in a research project refers to:
- Gradual loss of participant interest over time
- Uncontrolled expansion of project objectives beyond the original plan (Correct answer)
- Increasing costs due to inflation
- Slow recruitment causing timeline delays
Correct answer: Uncontrolled expansion of project objectives beyond the original plan
Scope creep occurs when a project gradually expands beyond its original objectives, often due to unmanaged additions of tasks or requirements without adjusting timeline or budget.
Question 3: A stakeholder analysis in research project management helps the research team:
- Identify who has an interest in the project and assess their influence and needs (Correct answer)
- Evaluate the statistical significance of findings
- Select appropriate sampling methods
- Determine authorship order for publications
Correct answer: Identify who has an interest in the project and assess their influence and needs
Stakeholder analysis identifies all individuals or groups who may affect or be affected by the project, assessing their interests, influence, and engagement needs.
Question 4: In research team management, a kickoff meeting is primarily intended to:
- Collect baseline data from participants
- Align team members on goals, roles, timelines, and communication expectations (Correct answer)
- Conduct the first round of data analysis
- Submit the final report to the sponsor
Correct answer: Align team members on goals, roles, timelines, and communication expectations
A project kickoff meeting brings all team members together to ensure shared understanding of objectives, roles, responsibilities, milestones, and communication protocols.
Question 5: What is the purpose of a data management plan (DMP) in a research project?
- To outline how data will be collected, stored, shared, and preserved throughout and after the project (Correct answer)
- To describe the statistical models used in analysis
- To document participant recruitment procedures
- To track the research team's meeting schedule
Correct answer: To outline how data will be collected, stored, shared, and preserved throughout and after the project
A data management plan describes how research data will be organized, stored, protected, shared, and preserved, and is increasingly required by funding agencies.
Question 6: Which project management approach uses short iterative cycles (sprints) and is increasingly applied in research settings for flexible, responsive project execution?
- Waterfall methodology
- Critical path method
- Agile methodology (Correct answer)
- Program evaluation review technique
Correct answer: Agile methodology
Agile methodology uses short sprints and iterative cycles with regular reviews, allowing research teams to adapt quickly to new findings or changing requirements.
PRC PRC Research Project Management 2
Which risk management strategy involves proactively developing a contingency plan to address a potential research project disruption?